


Sensory Overload

by darkmoore



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, M/M, Sensory Overload, Sentinel/Guide Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 10:19:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11530188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkmoore/pseuds/darkmoore
Summary: Steve goes in sensory overload, Danny thinks he can't help and Catherine is about to lose her temper with these two stubborn idiots. Sentinel and Guide relations at their best ...





	Sensory Overload

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Brumeier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/gifts).



> Written for [Brumeier](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier) who gave this prompt at the comment-fic comm over at LJ: "Any Sentinel fusion, any m/m, sensory overload" So here it is. :) She also did the beta herself so a big THANK YOU for that, Bru. You're the best. All remaining errors are my own.

Danny ran across the street, heart pounding in his chest. He kept tight control on his shields, the emotions of all the people on the scene more unwelcome than ever. Something was wrong with Steve and Danny had to figure out what, as quickly as possible. 

“Kono, what happened?” Danny asked as soon as he was in hearing range. She looked up, worry written all over her face. 

“Someone threw this at Steve.” She handed Danny something that looked like a small metal disc. “He just … collapsed. Then _he_ showed up and everything went to hell.” She pointed at the huge dog sitting next to Steve, growling at anyone who tried to get near him. 

Danny frowned. He’d never seen Steve’s spirit animal and had no idea what kind of dog that was but it was shaggy, very large and very pissed off. Behind its massive body Steve lay curled up on his side with his hands pressed tightly to his ears and his eyes squeezed shut. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. Everything in Danny screamed to go to Steve and try to help him but he doubted Steve’s spirit animal would be okay with a foreign Guide touching its Sentinel while he was that vulnerable. 

“All right, get whatever this is to the lab, clear the area as widely as possible, and get on the phone with the Center. Until we know what’s going on we can use all the help we can get.” Danny handed the device off to Kono and turned to Chin who was standing nearby, trying to calm down the upset spirit animal. 

“Chin, where the hell is Catherine? Why isn’t she here helping Steve? She’s his TAG, she should do some fucking _aiding_ , don’t you think?”

As if on cue, Catherine emerged from a nearby store, visibly upset. 

“I may be his Temporary Aiding Guide, Daniel, but he doesn’t allow me to do my job on the best of days. You know it and I know it. Our surface bond is so weak it barely does anything at all and it does _nothing_ against the sensory overload he’s experiencing right now. This … Otterhound, or whatever his spirit animal is, is clearly seeing me as a threat and that’s something that shouldn’t be even possible.” She folded her arms and glared at him.

Danny opened his mouth to reply but Catherine wasn’t finished.“You know, the two of you could do us all a favor and get your heads out of your asses. This is _your_ Sentinel in pain but you have nothing better to do than stand here and blame me? Someone should have banged your heads together a long time ago, but no, they indulge you like spoiled children just because you’re Five-0. I’m done with this shit. You have the chance to help Steve so _go help him already_. If you’d listened to me when I told you that you’re his Guide and you two should bond, maybe none of this would have happened. Go fix it.”

Guilt rushed through Danny at her words. She was right; they had had this conversation before. Danny just hadn’t believed her back then. 

_“What the hell, Catherine? He_ zoned _. He looked at some stupid piece of evidence and he zoned on it. Aren’t you supposed to prevent that? You’re his TAG. And he still_ zoned _.” Danny glared at Catherine. She appeared to be rather unfazed._

_“I noticed he zoned, Daniel, but thank you for pointing it out,” Catherine said drily and Danny’s anger climbed new heights._

_“You_ noticed _?” Danny shook his head and took a deep breath in order to get his raising temper under control. “She noticed, she says. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Catherine, he zoned on a piece of evidence. In a no-stress situation. What do you think will happen if the next time he’s concentrating on something and zones is in the middle of a crime scene with people shooting at us? Huh? What then? Will you stand by calmly and let him get killed? Is that your idea of being his TAG?”_

_Catherine glared at him but didn’t rise to the bait._

_“What I was trying to say, Daniel, is that I noticed that he zoned. But I also noticed that_ you _brought him back out of his zone almost immediately, merely by touching his shoulder. That should tell you something, don’t you think? I’m only useless as his TAG because_ you _are his Guide, Danny. It’s you he really needs by his side to keep him safe. And quite frankly, I’m sick and tired of watching you two dancing around each other. It would be better for him and for you if you just admitted you’re compatible and get on with it.”_

_Something cold and nasty settled in Danny’s chest. How dare she claim he were Steve’s Guide? How dare she imply that he was just too much of a coward to be with Steve when Steve needed him? Throwing his hands up in frustration, Danny hissed: “I’m not Steve’s Guide, Catherine. God dammit, don’t you think I’d know if I were his Guide? That he’d let me know if there had been any kind of recognition on his part? Huh? He’s my best friend. We’re partners. Just because I am theoretically compatible with him doesn’t mean he’s my Sentinel. I am_ theoretically _compatible with a shit ton of Sentinels and none of them was really mine. So spare me your holier than thou attitude. You’re not helping.”_

_“Well, you’re not helping, either!” Catherine shot back, her patience obviously at its end. “I’m telling you get your shit together and talk to him. Bond, be together like you’re supposed to be, fuck like bunnies, I don’t care just do something already. Because the next time something happens to him and I can’t help him, it will be on you, not me.”_

_With that she turned and walked away._

Danny blinked, her parting words from their last conversation ringing in his ears. “What am I supposed to do, Catherine?” Danny asked helplessly. He was acutely aware that every second that passed Steve was in agony and he might have the means to help him. If he could only figure out how. 

Catherine sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before looking back at Danny. She seemed to have regained control of her temper and her voice was surprisingly gentle when she said, “Extend your shields around him, Danny. Don’t think about it, just do it. See if he’ll let you. There’s really nothing more to it. Just _do it_ , Danny. Don’t worry about our TAG bond, don’t worry about procedure or what should or shouldn’t be possible. As you pointed out, technically I’m in charge of his well-being right now and I’m giving you permission, no I’m _ordering_ you to do it. Now, will you please help him?”

“Alright,” Danny focused on Steve, his best friend, the man he was in love with but couldn’t have, the _Sentinel_ in need of help. He slowly extended his shields, tried to feel for Steve’s psionic energy, his _presence_ and was shocked to find it strong and completely unprotected by any other Guide aura. Danny nudged at it, gently, and the wave of pain that was reflected back at him almost sent Danny to his knees. There was no resistance at all, not even the slightest sense of being denied access. Danny quickly wrapped Steve up in his own shields, pushing every ounce of psionic energy he had into buffering Steve from the onslaught of noise and light and all the other impressions that were raining down on him unfiltered. 

Steve gasped. Then his body visibly relaxed. “Danny,” he choked. 

Danny didn’t really think about it, he just moved to kneel beside Steve on the ground. The spirit animal was now wagging its tail excitedly, which was surreal. 

“Dammit, babe, why didn’t you tell me about this?” Danny murmured, and reached out to pull Steve into a sitting position. It took a moment for Danny to figure out the logistics – Steve being taller was definitely a disadvantage in that situation – but soon enough Danny was sitting with his back to the wall, Steve half across his lap with his face tugged into the crook of Danny’s neck. 

Someone came and erected a screen around them, but Danny barely noticed. He focused on Steve, on the way Steve seemed to fight even the surface bond Danny tried to form with him despite the fact that his primary shield was in tatters and he had no defenses of his own. It made no sense at all. The survival instinct in Steve, in every Sentinel, should have prompted him to accept and even seek out the safety and comfort a surface bond with a compatible Guide would bring. But Steve was tying his best to hide from Danny as much as possible even though he clearly needed the buffering Danny provided. 

Danny started to rub soothing circles into Steve’s back while his other hand petted Steve’s hair. Whatever it was that the perp had thrown at Steve, it was seriously inhibiting his ability to get a grip on his primary shields. Danny just kept pushing psionic energy at Steve, hoping to trigger him into erecting a new shield, but so far he had no luck. Instead Steve seemed to grow increasingly more agitated as time passed. 

“It’s okay, babe, don’t try to force it. You’ll get your control back when whatever this jerk did to you has worn off. Just let me help you, okay?” Out of some sort of weird, overprotective Guide impulse Danny pressed a small kiss into the hair above Steve’s right ear. 

Steve tensed. 

“Sorry,” Danny apologized. Clearly Steve was uncomfortable with the situation they were in and he’d rather not rely on Danny helping him. The thought was like a knife in Danny’s gut but he carefully kept the accompanying emotion away from Steve and their weak link. It wasn’t Steve’s fault Danny had the hots for him, and obviously Steve had come to the decision to keep the fact that the two of them were compatible to himself. That alone said a lot about why Steve was fighting the surface bond so hard. 

Danny kept Steve wrapped up in his shields, pushing psionic energy at him in a constant flow. Whatever it was that had interfered with Steve’s ability to maintain his primary shield, it still hadn’t worn off. Hopefully the influx of psionic energy would restore Steve’s ability to shield himself, otherwise they would have to admit him to a Center for treatment. He’d end up with a different TAG and medication until he regained control over his shielding. Danny knew he would hate it. 

“This sucks,” Steve said after a while. 

“Yeah, I know, babe but you’ll get there, all right? You just have to be patient. Just relax and let me shield you for a while. You’re not in a hurry, are you?” 

Steve’s jaw clenched and he sucked in a shaky breath. “No, but this isn’t fair to you. I have no right to ask this of you. We should talk to the Center and get someone else to help me, since Catherine didn’t work out as my TAG.” Even through the pain and exhaustion Steve sounded determined. His words were like a slap to Danny’s face. Steve couldn’t have made it any clearer that he wouldn’t even consider Danny as his Guide. 

Danny pulled himself together and made sure he wasn’t transmitting any of his emotions through the barely-there connection they shared. “Don’t be ridiculous, Steven. I’m here already and you’re not asking anything of me. I’m offering. Let me help you and once you have your shields back under control we can talk about what should happen next. If you still want to look for a different TAG then, fine. But you might want to consider choosing me as your TAG. We’re partners already and you know I won’t try to con you into a bond you don’t want to have so you don’t need to be on guard around me all the damn time.” It was logical. It was reasonable. It was all Danny would ever be able to have with Steve. 

“No! That’s exactly what I don’t need, Danny. You, closer to me. Under my skin. I can’t … I can’t guarantee that I wouldn’t-” He broke off abruptly and the stabbing pain Danny had felt at the outright rejection morphed into confusion and worry. Something was going on with Steve, but Danny couldn’t figure it out. One thing was clear: it had something to do with them being compatible and Steve not telling him about it. 

“Alright, let’s not talk about this right now, okay? You don’t need any more stressing out. So, let’s just not …” Danny trailed off, carefully gauging Steve’s reaction. 

Suddenly, as if a door had been shut in his face, all of Steve’s shields including his primary one snapped into place. The forceful push that disconnected the last weak strands of mental connection felt like a shove to Danny, and it made him feel dizzy for a moment. He gasped and Steve shot him an apologetic look as he moved away from Danny’s hold. “Sorry Danny, but I’m all better now. You don’t need to buffer me anymore. Thanks for the help, partner.”

Danny sighed but didn’t keep Steve from moving away completely and getting up from the floor. “Yeah, no problem. Glad I could help. But just so you know, you don’t get out of talking to me about this. No way. Just saying.” Danny got up as well, right in time to see Steve give him aneurysm face. 

“I need to check in with the Center,” Steve said and walked away, leaving Danny behind.

* * *

The sun was just about to set when Danny walked around Steve’s house in search of his wayward partner. He found Steve sitting on a blanket at the beach, staring out onto the ocean. For a split second Danny was scared Steve had zoned on something but when he approached, Steve tilted his head lightly and said, “I’m fine Danny, no need to panic.” Steve had obviously not only heard him coming, he had kept tabs on Danny’s heartrate as well. 

Danny frowned. Steve’s new TAG was nowhere to be seen and he really shouldn’t be using his senses without someone to ground him nearby. Especially not after the events of the morning. 

“Thought I might find you here,” Danny finally said as he came to a halt a short distance away from where Steve was sitting. For the first time in forever he felt like he was intruding on Steve, whose shields were up so firmly Danny could barely feel him at all. 

“It’s not as if I’ve been hiding,” Steve replied, and the strange defensive undertone in his voice made the hairs in Danny’s neck stand on end. Something very strange was happening here. After a moment of tense silence in which Steve kept his back firmly turned, he asked, “Why are you here, Danny? I told you I’m fine.” 

“Yeah, right. Like I’d believe that after the morning you had. Where is your TAG, Steven? You shouldn’t be out here alone without someone to support you.” Danny hadn’t liked the resignation and … whatever it was that had crept into Steve’s voice at his last words. Or maybe he was just reacting to the stresses of the day and the strange mood his partner was in. 

“Don’t have a new one. The Counselor at the Center thought it wouldn’t work out, not after I told her the truth.” Steve still hadn’t looked at Danny but his head ducked forward now as if in shame, his shoulders tense. Unhappiness and discomfort seemed to come off of him in huge waves just from his posture alone – Danny didn’t get a single thing from Steve, empathically. 

“The truth?” Danny asked, and his heart was beating wildly in his chest. “What are you talking about, babe?” He had a feeling they were getting somewhere and he might actually figure out what Steve’s problem was. Ever since the events of the morning Danny couldn’t think about anything else. He needed to figure out what was going on with Steve and how to fix the problem, whatever it was. Even if it meant he would never be able to be more than a work partner for Steve. Even if it meant losing Steve altogether to a new TAG or a permanent Guide who might not be suitable for the work they were doing. Steve might resign his job and do something else. The thought was like acid in Danny’s chest and he worked hard on not letting any kind of emotion bleed out through his own shields. 

“The truth about how I stay sane when I’m out in the field. That I … that I ground myself on you. That I’ve imprinted on you with every single sense I could get away with. That I’m just that weak, imposing on you when you have no idea we’re even compatible.” The self-loathing in Steve’s voice felt like a kick to Danny’s gut. 

“You what?” Danny’s head was spinning from the new information. With three long strides he was in front of Steve, dropping to his knees in the space between Steve’s legs. 

“I’m so sorry, Danny,” Steve said miserably. He avoided Danny’s eyes, looking over Danny’s shoulder and out to the sea instead. 

Danny would have none of it. He gently cupped Steve’s cheek and tilted his head so Steve had to look at him. “Hey, no, no babe, come on, look at me. Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on. I don’t understand. Why would you imprint on me and not tell me about it? Did you think I would reject you? Is that it? Did I somehow lead you to believe that I’m not up for bonding?”

Steve sighed and the pain in his eyes was hard for Danny to take. “No, that’s not it. The opposite, actually. I knew you would offer to bond. That you would just … be your generous, caring self and that you would do everything in your power to make this bond work. I knew that, Danny. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”

Something cold and ugly froze in Danny’s chest. He dropped his hand from Steve’s face as if he had been burned and cradled it against his own chest. “You don’t want to bond with me, do you? That’s what you tried to tell me this morning. You actually do not want to be bound to me. You plan on going on the way you have in the past. And I would never have known.” The pain of Steve’s rejection had Danny gasping for breath and his hold on his shields slipped briefly. 

Steve flinched as if he had been struck and Danny fought to gain control over his runaway feelings. 

“It wasn’t like that!” Steve snapped suddenly, his eyes wild and panicked, a desperate tone to his voice. “I just didn’t want you to agree to bonding out of responsibility or … or pity or something. Or because we’re best friends and you didn’t want to hurt me. I wanted you to want me, no matter if we are compatible or not. I wanted you to choose me, despite being compatible and not because of it. For once in my life I wanted to be chosen for who I am, not what I might be able to do.” 

Danny stared at Steve, dumbfounded. Could his Sentinel really be that oblivious? That fucking _blind_? Apparently, he could. 

“You’re an idiot, Steven,” Danny declared. “How many times have I told you that I love you, huh? How many?”

“You tell me at least once a day, why? What does that have to do with anything? It’s not as if you mean anything by it.” Steve frowned, which made Danny want to smack him up the head. 

“And you know that how exactly? Do you even remember the first time I told you that I love you?” Danny was getting impatient now. This farce had to end, the sooner the better. 

“What? Why? I don’t know. After the parking garage fell onto our heads, maybe?” Steve looked confused and upset and about as impatient as Danny felt. But he still didn’t seem to get it. 

“Actually, the first time I told you was when you broke your arm showing me those Petroglyphs and you were Medevaced out. But it’s okay if you don’t remember, seeing you apparently think I’m not serious.” Danny couldn’t believe Steve hadn’t realized that Danny was in love with him. 

“On the mountain? That … that was over six years ago, Danny. You can’t expect me to believe that … what … you’re in love with me? Have been in love with me almost from the beginning? Even before we went to the Center to register? Before all the girlfriends and Charlie and me almost proposing to Catherine? Before all that?”

“Oh for Christ’s sake, Steven, I’m so done with this shit!” Danny grabbed Steve’s face in both hands and surged forward. He pressed his lips firmly against Steve’s, giving his Sentinel the chance to imprint his last sense if he chose to do so. They weren’t bonding, far from it actually, but they were finally _connecting_. Steve all but melted into Danny, opening his mouth and holding onto Danny’s shoulders as if his life depended on it.

Danny groaned into the kiss and thinned his primary shield, letting Steve feel exactly how much he loved him, and that this had nothing at all to do with pity or sacrifice and everything with finally being with the Sentinel he was meant for. It was a heady feeling and when Steve reciprocated by allowing Danny to get a reading of his own emotions, Danny wanted to cry. It was such an amazing feeling. 

“We’re both idiots,” Danny said when they finally came up for air. “Everyone kept telling me you were my Sentinel and I just couldn’t believe you wouldn’t tell me if we were compatible. I never questioned how they seemed to know. Let’s not waste any more time, okay babe? Let’s go inside so you can do a proper imprint on me. I can’t wait to have you touch me. I think we’ve waited long enough. Sound good to you, babe?” Danny nipped at Steve’s slightly stubbly chin while his hands moved to Steve’s hips, holding onto him. 

“Sounds perfect to me, Danny,” Steve grinned. His happiness was pouring over Danny, making him dizzy. 

They stood and walked back to the house, hand in hand, glad that they had finally found a perfect match with each other.


End file.
